Posting Your Best Cover Photo

Your online dating profile cover photo is important for several reasons, but mainly because it is the very first impression you are making to your matches. So what do we love about this woman’s cover pic?

A. She’s in the photo! Your cover photo should definitely include…you. You will have plenty of opportunity to upload many more pics to your profile. But guess what? Your matches want to see your smiling face first. We know you adore your pups and your group of friends, and you can express all of that in your profile. Let your cover photo be the best example of you.

Plus: take advantage of the landscape size, a great opportunity to show off a snapshot of you in one of your favorite settings.

B. She is smiling, and revealing her entire face. Super close-ups may reveal a playful or creative side, but aren’t the best representation for this large cover shot. And we know you look cool in your sunglasses, but your matches want to see your gorgeous eyes. Remember: Eye contact can be just as engaging in a photo as it is in person.

C. You can tell something about her from the photo. Obviously this lady enjoys nature, the outdoors, and the color pink (see, you learned three things already!). We also have to give her props for the image quality here, which is very high resolution. A good quality photo is going to make a big difference for your cover shot.

Below are a few more examples of good cover shots:

Tips for all of your profile photos:

1. Use Recent Photos.

Sometimes, folks think that if they were a size 6 in 1996 they should post a photo from that year as a profile pic. They don’t realize that meeting a match and having him or her look nothing like the photo makes people angrier than a swarm of bees, and less likely to go on a second date. So it’s best to be honest. Show your best self, but also your most recent self. Your dates are going to be meeting the current you, not a version of you from years past, so it’s better to be frank now. That way, you’ll know that all your communicating matches like you as you are.

This seems like such an obvious no-no, but people still sometimes show photos of themselves with their last romantic partner while trying to find the next one on eHarmony. Sometimes they even physically cut the ex out of the photo, so that there’s an obvious gaping hole, or use a piece of paper to block out their ex. Needless to say, this looks tacky.

For the sake of all involved, don’t include photos of you and your ex. It will be a turnoff to your dates and, worse, it may confuse your potential matches as to your single status. You’re better off using a different photo. If you must use a photo that your ex is in, use a photo editor such as Photoshop to zoom in on just yourself, and crop the ex completely out.

Because your matches want to see you as single, with no strings from previous relationships, you also need to be careful about using photos of you and any member of the opposite sex who is roughly your same age. It might be just a sibling or a platonic friend, but your matches won’t know that — unless you use a caption that clearly says, “My brother Pete.”

3. A Thousand Words…

Since pictures can reveal what is important to you, use this introduction in your favor. If you like walks on the beach, take a photo of yourself on the shoreline at sunset. If you like to create landscape paintings, feature yourself and the easel mid-project. Perhaps you value an animated sense of humor, so have a photo of you in the throes of laughter. Use your imagination and think about what you would like to see about someone else. Jump in the air, model a favorite hat or strike a pose. By presenting an action in front of a thoughtful or fun background, your profile photo can show your personality without saying a word.

4. Make sure that you’ve posed for success.

This includes the photo background that you’ve selected. It’s OK to post a photo of you on a recliner eating Cheetos, but your matches will really appreciate seeing you in various settings like the great outdoors.

That brings us to another great point — dress for success. We’re not saying that you need to be in a tux, but you probably don’t need to be in old sweatpants or a Speedo either. You are more likely to receive communication if you look put together and functional.

5. Use your captions.

Captions are there for you to use them. It’s a great way for you to establish yourself as a match, while setting yourself apart from the crowd. It’ll also give you the opportunity to create communication opportunities for your matches. So, do you and your matches a favor and use the caption feature whenever your post a photo. It’ll make you even more interesting.

When online dating, profile pictures can tell a great story. If done well, your profile pictures can act as a photo album of your life, illustrating the different layers that make you such a great catch. Good photos let your personality shine, underscore your interests and give a glimpse into your life, without methodically spelling out your stats. If you want your profile to garner a second (or third) look, your photos should offer some insight into who you are − and some decent lighting never hurt, either!